On Tuesday, a 20-year-old Harvard University Psychology major confessed that he was responsible for emailing phony bomb threats to Harvard officials and the student newspaper, the Harvard Crimson.
Eldo Kim said he was motivated by a desire to avoid a final exam scheduled to be held on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Just before 3:00 p.m., well after Kim’s exam had been cancelled, police and FBI officials concluded that the threats were a hoax and reopened the buildings. Kim stated in his email that four “shrapnel” bombs had been placed in four separate buildings on Campus and that officials better “guess correctly. be quick or they will go off soon.” Kim was apprehended by Police and the FBI on Tuesday afternoon.
Ironically, Kim was the recipient of a 2008 Institute of Peace Award for his essay on “Cultural Genocide: A Look into the Unknown.” The organization states as part of its goal: To build knowledge and create innovative tools for peace building. The Institute’s description of Eldo indicates that he plans on being a Political Science major and that he is “excited for what the future holds in the coming years.” After yesterday’s bogus bomb threat, if convicted, his future could be spending the next five years in prison and coughing up $250,000 in fines. What adds to Mr. Kim’s foolishness is that at Harvard students do not have to sit for exams and can instead use the grades from previous work.
Kim’s Harvard University biography page says that on campus, Eldo writes for the Harvard International Review and dances as a member of the Harvard Breakers. The bio reads, “In his free time, he enjoys playing pool, trying new restaurants, watching terrible cult films, and playing with his Mini Schnauzer puppy.”